Thinking of Labor Day, it seems strange that we Americans celebrate our work by taking the day off.  Don’t take that the wrong way, we’re happy to have an extra day off, but not doing our labor seems an unusual way to celebrate it!

Speaking of work, the Bible has a tremendous amount to say about it.  Starting with Adam and Eve, God gave His people work to do.  One reason He did this was because He created humankind in His image.  Since God worked first by creating the world, the natural pattern was for those created in His image to follow His in footsteps by doing work as well. 

Every time God created part of the world He said, ”and it was good”.  So, God’s example is that work is to be done with excellence.  In Ephesians the Apostle Paul specifically tells us to obey those in authority over us, and work as if we are doing the will of Jesus within our hearts.  Proverbs says, “Do you see a man who is excellent in his work?  He will stand before kings.”  So, excellence should be our goal with our work.

The book of Proverbs says God will reward hard work, and the Apostle Paul says in Ephesians that we were created in Christ Jesus to do the work He determined for us to do before the world was created.  Even Jesus said He chose us to bear lasting fruit, and to do even greater work than He did!

We’ve always found it amazing that God has a plan for each of us, and has given us our work as a means to fulfill part of that plan.  Just think, the job you have was given to you as part of God’s plan, and it is helping build His kingdom. 

Sometimes our jobs don’t feel like we’re helping God’s kingdom, do they?  Instead, they sometimes feel like a grind.  We have found it very helpful to re-read the passages in the Bible that discuss the blessings of work.  It helps us regain our focus when we feel down in the dumps with our jobs.

We realize that some of you are struggling with work in this economy, and some of you may be unemployed.  Scott was laid off a number of years ago, so we sympathize with you.  It is not a fun time.  During that time of stress in our family we tried to remember God’s promises to provide for His people.  Guess what?  He did provide for us in a way we could never have imagined.  He moved us from Virginia to Arkansas, and we have met many great people as a result.  By the way, Scott found the classic book “What Color Is Your Parachute” extremely helpful in his job search.

So, in your time of unemployment or underemployment, what is God doing in your life?  If you hold onto His promises and work hard to find the right job, we can guarantee God will faithfully provide something, even if it is unexpected!

Scott and Cindy McClymonds

We hope you have had a fantastic summer, with at least a little bit of rest and relaxation. At Busy Bees we are ready to start our new school year programs, and we have never been more proud of our staff and teachers. They are the heart and soul of Busy Bees, and they work hard each and every day to make sure you and your children have a positive experience with us. Please note that this is not a commercial! We just want you to know that this is our best Busy Bees team in the almost five years we have been in Farmington, and thought they deserved some public recognition in the Busy Bees newsletter.

As the new school year begins, we always like to remind you about the purpose of Busy Bees. Busy Bees exists first and foremost to introduce Jesus Christ to your children, and teach them the fundamentals of the Christian faith. This is the mission God placed on our hearts more than five years ago, and it is absolutely the most important thing we do.

As part of this mission our goal is to hire and train teachers and staff who will love your children and be role models to them. Of course no one will be perfect, but we believe our team, led by Amanda, does a great job fulfilling this part of our mission.

In Proverbs 1:7 it says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, but fools despise knowledge.” This goes to the heart of a Busy Bees education. Learning how to read, or say the alphabet is a great thing for a child to learn, but learning them within the context of Proverbs 1:7 is even better. What we mean by this is that a Busy Bees education teaches children to understand that God is in everything and involved in all aspects of our lives, not just someone we think about on Sunday mornings.

Having said this, the ultimate responsibility for your child’s understanding of God lies with you. Busy Bees is here to help you along the way, and we encourage you to help your kids learn the songs, stories, and memory verses we teach at the school.

Scott and Cindy McClymonds

“Those who desire to give up freedom in order to gain security will not
have, nor do they deserve, either one.”
– President Thomas Jefferson. 1743-1826

“There are more instances of the abridgement of the freedom of the
people by the gradual and silent encroachment of those in power,
than by violent and sudden usurpation.”
– President James Madison. 1751-1836

Dear Busy Bees Parents:

July is a month we celebrate America’s independence and freedom, but the reality is that we should celebrate it every day. Our nation is extremely blessed by God, and we have historically enjoyed freedoms which people in other countries only dream of.

As I write this to you, I have to tell you I am concerned about the future of freedom in our nation. I think we have more and more of our fellow citizens valuing security over freedom, and are willing to submit themselves to dependence on the government rather than on the opportunities in a free society. As this submission and dependence on government grows, I am afraid that our government is slowly taking away our freedoms.

Along with this trend toward dependence on the government comes a declining reliance upon God to help people. The government becomes their real god, the one they count on to provide for them, and the God of the Bible is pushed aside.

This worries me for America. I have heard that it is the fourth largest unreached nation in the world for the Gospel. That means we have the fourth highest non-Christian population in the world. We have truly lost our way as a nation, and I hope you will join me in praying for revival in America. I believe a product of greater faith in God and less reliance on government is a free society where people are willing to work hard and take risks. That’s who we are as Americans, and I hope God allows us to go back to those roots.

Incidentally, this is one reason Busy Bees exists. We believe in faith, family, and country, and we hope our Busy Bees students become strong in their faith, dedicated to their families, and defenders of their country.

In the McClymonds household we try to impart these values to our children, and the following letter I wrote to our kids may be helpful to you as you attempt to explain American freedom to your kids:

“Dear Andrew and Emmy:

I wanted to write to you about the country we live in…America. You are too young right now to appreciate what a great place it is, but I would like to spend just a few minutes telling you why it is so special, and why you should do your best to keep it that way.

America is great because of one very important word…freedom. That means we don’t have to ask anyone for permission to do the things we love to do. Think about all the wonderful things we get to do each and every day. Today we went to the park after dinner, Daddy went to work during the day, and you and Mommy worked and played at home. No one made us do any of those things, and we didn’t have to ask anyone if we could do them. Being free lets us take vacations to the wonderful Colorado mountains, play Little League baseball, eat ice cream any time we want, and go see the Buckeyes play.

Being free also lets Mommy and Daddy choose to educate you at home so you receive the type of education and training we believe will be most helpful to you. When you are older you will be free to go to the university of your choice if you want to attend college. You will also be free to choose a profession, open a business, or use your God given gifts in any other way to earn money and pay for your family.

Our freedom has let Mommy and Daddy work in different jobs, live in three states, and open several businesses. Yes, it has taken a lot of hard work, but nobody made us do it, or tried to keep us from doing any of it. We made the choices by ourselves because we are free.

Most of all, we love America because we are free to worship Jesus. America has what is called religious freedom. That means we can go to church wherever we want, study the Bible, listen to Christian music, and tell our friends about Jesus.

I’m sad to tell you that not everyone in the world lives in a place where they are free. Many boys and girls just like you live in countries where they have to get permission to do the things we do. Most of all, many boys and girls live in countries where they are not allowed to go to church or worship Jesus like we do. That is very horrible, and we should pray that God will make those people free some day.

I hope you two will always be glad you are Americans, and that you will look upon your freedom as a treasure to be protected with your lives. Many people have fought hard to make sure you are free, and I hope you will fight and work hard to protect your freedom and use it to become people who love Jesus and use the gifts He has given you to the best of your ability.

Love,

Daddy”

Thank you so much for being a Busy Bees customer. I hope you are having a great summer in our wonderful free country.

Sincerely,

Scott McClymonds

This month we celebrate what is by far my favorite holiday…Easter.  It isn’t my favorite because of the Easter bunny, Easter egg hunts, or chocolate Easter candy.  In fact, I have to admit that all that stuff drives me a little crazy because it is a distraction from the greatest event in human history.  Let me explain.

The Bible says in Romans 3:23 that all of us have sinned and fallen short of God’s requirements.  We are all unable to reach God with our own efforts.  Nothing we do can please Him.  However, He loves us so much that He decided not to leave us in that condition of separation from Him.  Romans 5: 8 shows this remarkable truth to us.  It says, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us”.

That, my friends, is true love, but it’s not the end of the story, because on the third day after His crucifixion He rose from the dead.  In Hebrews we’re told He is now seated in Heaven at God’s right hand, interceding for us.  That means He pleads our case to God, and God declares us not guilty because of the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ on our behalf.

See, without the death and resurrection of Jesus on Easter it would be impossible for you and I to have a relationship with God.  Our best hope would be to try to live a good life, then spend eternity separated from Him.  God is merciful, but since He is holy He cannot coexist with sin.  In His justice system sin requires a death sentence.

That’s why Easter is so important, because Jesus took that death sentence for everyone who believes in Him as the Savior of the world.  Not only that, but His resurrection permanently defeats eternal separation from God and let’s us be part of God’s family.  We are adopted into that family and have all the rights and privileges of family members, both in this life and the one to come.

So now I hope you see why I call this the most important event in human history.  Without the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ our lives would be meaningless because we would be separated from God forever and subject to His justice instead of His mercy.  With His mercy, the Bible says we are forever changed.  How can the Easter bunny compete with that?

This is why we work so hard to teach your children the basic truths of Christianity.  We want all of them to benefit from the work of Jesus so that they can know and enjoy life in its fullest and receive all the benefits of being part of God’s family.

Our Busy Bees team wishes you a Happy Easter.

Lately I’ve been reading the book of Proverbs.  This book contains an incredible amount of wisdom, and since I need all of that I can get I have made it a goal to read one chapter every day.  Unfortunately I don’t reach this goal all the time, but I have made a little progress, and I want to share some interesting ideas from Proverbs chapter 18 with you this month.

Here is Proverbs 18:9 :  “One who is slack in his work is brother to one who destroys.”  This verse tells us that it is destructive to neglect our work or not to make a good effort in it.  Proverbs is full of verses about the benefits of hard work, but this verse really shows the destructive consequences of not taking our work seriously.

There are many ways to examine this verse, so let’s look at two of them in the context of parents and children.

First, this shows us the importance of teaching our children the value of hard work.  It isn’t just a secular virtue.  Rather, it is commanded by God.  When we work hard and do our best we are actually mirroring God’s character and bringing glory to Him in the process.

Of course, this is a difficult concept for a child to understand, not just in preschool, but throughout their teen years as well.  At Busy Bees one of our goals is to lay a foundation of excellence in their work.  Our classes are designed to give them a basic concept of academic work, and to make it enjoyable for them.

Teaching kids to be helpful around the home is another element of helping them learn the value of hard work.  In our home we are trying some new things with our kids.  In addition to having them do their chores around the house, we are also reading some of these Proverbs about work to them, and then having them memorize the verses.  Our hope is that they are somehow able to understand that work brings glory to God, and brings blessings to them from Him.

Another way to look at this verse is through the lens of our roles as parents.  Parenting is work.  We might not get paid for it, but anyone who does not recognize it as work hasn’t been one.  This verse tells us that if we are slack in our roles as parents we participate in the destruction of our kids.  Ouch, what a warning!

Looking at it the other way shows the blessings that can come out of the work of diligent parents.  If slack work destroys, then good work builds up.  If we pay close attention to our kids and stay focused on our work as parents, we set our kids up to receive great blessings from the Lord.

I have my list of things I need to do to improve myself as a parent.  What’s on your list?

I hope you and your family had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  Our family had a great celebration as we were visited by family from Maine.  Too bad we can’t see them more often.

Now that Thanksgiving is past, our two kids, Andrew and Emmy, are crazy with excitement over Christmas.   I worked from my home office today, and there was a continuous stream of Christmas music playing.  Andrew is hooked on the Beach Boys Christmas CD, and he must have played one particular song 20 times!

I really like the Christmas season, but have to admit I’m a bit of a fuddy duddy.  Like many Christians I feel a certain “conflictedness” over the mixed messages of Christmas.  There’s the message of the generic “peace on earth” as well as the fun and games message of Santa Claus.  To me there’s only one real message, and that is the message of the King of the Universe, Jesus Christ, coming to Earth to forgive us of our sins.

The Apostle Paul summed it up nicely in I Timothy 1:15 when he said, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief”.  The Apostle knew the real meaning of Christmas.  He understood the gravity of his sin and corruption, and basically referred to himself as the worst sinner of all.

Elsewhere in the New Testament Paul talks about Jesus by saying, “Let this mind be in you that was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.  And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.  Therefore God has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which above all names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father”.

Friends, that is the best news ever, and is the real message of Christmas.  The King of Kings, Creator of the world, took the form of a baby, lived among mankind sinlessly, and was executed for something He didn’t do so you and I could become children of God.  He loves you so much that He was willing to die for what you did so you can live with Him forever.

That’s the message of Christmas, and that’s why Busy Bees exists.  Yes, we want to deliver an outstanding and well rounded preschool education, but most of all we want each student at Busy Bees Christian PreSchool to know the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour.

Thanks for reading.

Scott McClymonds

Maybe you’re lost your job during this recession and are worried about your future.  Perhaps your business is taking on water, running in the red.  You might be wondering how you’re going to pay your mortgage.  If you’re in this category, where you feel like your back is against the wall, this post is for you.

Recently on a whim I read the book of Habakkuk in the Old Testament.  I don’t know the minor prohetic books very well, so I thought I would read a short one.  Habakkuk only has three chapters, so it is easy to get through fairly quickly.

In a nutshell, the prophet starts out in a real fit of despair.  Obviously things are going very badly for him and the Israelite society.  He starts out by saying to God, “O LORD, how long shall I cry, and You wil not hear?”  He has clearly been hurting for a long time…long enough to make him almost think God has turned a deaf ear to his prayers.

How long have you been crying out to God?  Does it seem like He has forgotten you?  Do you feel ignored?  Are you starting to have doubts about your faith?  Is it waivering?  Just keep reading.

In chapter 1 God responds to Habakkuk by saying, “Look among the nations and watch — Be utterly astounded!  For I will work a work in your days which you would not believe, though it were told you.” 

In the context of the book God was talking about a particular series of historical events He would bring about.  However, in His answer He also reveals part of His character to us, and that doesn’t ever change.

The particular character trait is His ability to do far beyond what we ask or imagine, no matter how desperate our circumstances may seem.  This is important because it applies to you.  He was assuring Habakkuk that He had not abandoned Him, just as Jesus assures you He will never leave or forsake you.

Moving to the end of the book, in chapter 3 Habakkuk writes a hymn of faith that says, “Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; Though the labor of the olive may fail, and the fields yield no food; Though the flock may be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls; Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.  The LORD is my strength; He wil make my feet like deer’s feet, and He will make me walk on my high hills”.

In this last part of Habakkuk the prophet describes some very bleak economic circumstances.  Despite those tough times he chose to rejoice in the LORD, and looked forward to the time when God would restore his fortunes.

I really wish I could help you out with a job or make your business profitable.  It’s no picnic in my business right now either.  Nevertheless, we have something so great, beyond measure.

Just like Habakkuk, you are able to rejoice in God too, and look forward to His blessings.  They will come.  Jesus says, “Abide in me and I will abide in you”.  Don’t lose your faith.  Remember your hope, and most of all, remember the One you serve.  Be reminded of His greatness and faithfulness, just like Habakkuk was reminded during his period of despair.

Thanks for reading.

Scott

There are a staggering amount of things to teach children.  It’s really amazing as well as sometimes overwhelming.  Our kids are 10 and 4, so what each of them needs to be taught differs dramatically.  I think about teaching my kids American history, business, Spanish, sports, how to say “please’ and “thank you”, setting the table, doing chores, raking leaves, etc.

With everything we try to squeeze in, I frequently find it good to stop and make sure we’re teaching our kids what matters most, and that is the word of God and their relationship with Jesus Christ.  Let’s take a quick look at Deuteronomy chapter 6 to see how it instructs parents to teach this most important topic to their kids.

Verse 7 tells us to teach God’s word to our kids diligently.  That means teaching the Bible to our kids should be a constant focus.  In the same verse we’re told to talk of God’s word to our kids throughout the entire day. 

Does that mean God wants us to stay at home from work and read the Bible to our kids all day?  Of course not.  However, it does mean that we ought to be able to show and explain God’s word to our kids in all our daily activities.  See, God wants to be in everything we do.  He doesn’t divide our lives into Sunday and all the other days, “spiritual” and “secular”.  He sees each moment and activity as an opportunity to teach our kids about His ways.

As a reinforcement to these points we can look at verses 20-25.  We see that God expects parents to be able to explain His ways to their kids when they ask questions.

 If you’re a parent and don’t feel confident in explaining God’s word to your kids, don’t feel bad.  There’s always time to learn.  Just read part of God’s word little by little, and review it with your children.  Maybe start with the gospel of Mark.  Your kids don’t need you to be a theologian or a biblical rocket scientist.  They just need you to bring a little direction to them from God’s word.  If you commit to make that effort consistently, you can be sure God will honor it.

Thanks for reading.

Scott McClymonds